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The Great Canadian Confection Election

Between all the whereases and heretofores in the Canadian Constitution is a little-known clause that probably would have saved the country from years of internecine squabbling.

In Section Nine, Subsection 134, "Miscellaneous Provisions" it states -- and I'm paraphrasing here -- that every five years Canadians should be given the right to elect a national Miscellaneous Provision.

But we've never had that vote, have we? And do you know why we've never had that vote? Because Pierre Elliot Trudeau was so excited by the prospect of repatriating the Constitution after the Nov. 2, 1981, "Kitchen Meeting" that he celebrated in his hotel room at The Chateau Laurier with a Coffee Crisp (a rather appropriate choice, considering the chocolate bar's Canadian roots go back to 1938, the year both Paul Martin and Lucien Bouchard were born).

When the document finally got to Rene Levesque to sign, it was smudged with chocolate. "Sacre bleu," the Quebec Premier thought to himself. "Now, the rest of Canada will never know the delicious combination of sponge cake, chocolate and dreamy, creamy filling that is Jos. Louis. Not only that, but they will continue pronouncing it like the boxer, not as it should be -- 'Jose Louie.' "

The rest, as they say, is history -- until now.

Since it was launched in 1998, the National Post has been the vanguard of democratic reform in this country. We reported on the Liberal sponsorship scandal and David Emerson's switch to the Conservatives. We have also offered people in all parties the opportunity to reunite with their lost winter handwear through our Mitten Registry. So it is with great pride that we reinvigorate the political process just in time for Canada Day with The Great Canadian Confection Election.

In the next three days we will profile a number of the candidates vying to be The Great Canadian Confection -- that is, a taste delight developed or invented in Canada. Then we will ask you, the reader, to vote for your favourite homegrown snack.

Of course, you may be thinking, "What tasty treats do we really have to call our own?" Candy cravings are usually connected to childhood memories, and with so many citizens coming from other cultures, the dominant Canadian snack experience may well seem to originate elsewhere: If you're Dutch you pine for the salty licorice known as salmiak; Japanese-Canadians crave the chocolate-covered biscuit sticks known as Pocky.

I know that whenever someone in my family visited Scotland, my mom would give them a list of items to bring back. Coconut-covered Snowballs, Edinburgh rock and macaroons -- these were the goodies she grew up with as a girl outside of Glasgow, and she continued to be rapt with nostalgia for them even 30 or 40 years later.

So it might come as a surprise to know that when Canadians move to other countries, they, too, yearn for the treats they grew up with, and there is a whole roster of snacks that we can proudly call our own.

"We always say Americans are so much more patriotic, Canadians are more subtle and polite. I don't know about that," says

Hilary White, the proprietor of www.canadianfavourites.com, an online company that ships Canuck confections.

"With some of the letters I get, some of the responses on the site, I think Canadians are pretty happy about being Canadian," she says. "I'm sure some people like the products, but I think a lot of it is a sentimental thing, a connection to home."

The company, which White started six years ago out of her Dundas, Ont., home, originally targeted expats, mostly living in the United States: folks like Annette B. of Fernandina Beach, Fla. "I'm a Canadian married to a U.S. citizen and living in Florida," she wrote to White. "I miss home terribly, especially some of the special and unique foods. Thanks for providing me with a taste of home."

Indeed, White estimates that 85% of her 20,000 regular customers are Canadians living abroad, and in the June lead-up to Canada Day, sales triple. But a growing trend is emerging that might soothe our national pride in light of Edmonton's painful Stanley Cup loss -- our southern neighbours love our sweets.

"I get a kick out of the huge American base we have," White says. "Americans will come up and try our chocolate and our Tim Hortons coffee and say they can't drink Starbucks coffee anymore. We're always whining that we're the last ones to get things. To have the reverse, Americans wanting our coffee and chocolate, well our junk food is better than theirs."

In light of such a top-notch treat track-record, the time has come to assess the greatest of our goodies. Each day we will introduce one of our most cherished confections, after which we will invite readers to fill in the clip 'n' save ballot at left, send it in and help us crown the champion of Canadian snacks.

The Ottawa writer who runs www.candycritic.org will make the case for Cherry Blossom. We will talk to the woman who won a 1985 contest to find the official recipe for Nanaimo bars. And a man who took me to task over a column I wrote disparaging Tim Hortons coffee will stump for that national chain's Iced Capp.

As it says in Section Two, Subsection 'B' of the Charter: "Everyone has the fundamental freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication."

z Visit www.nationalpost.com and click on The Great Canadian Confection Election under Editor's Picks to vote. Or courier your ballot to National Post, 1450 Don Mills Rd., Toronto, Ont., M3B 3R5 before Thursday, June 29. The winner of the Great Canadian Confection Election will be announced in Friday's Avenue.